Switching means for conveyers



Oct. 14, 1952 F. B. SCHOTTELKOTTE 2,613,790

SWITCHING MEANS FOR CONVEYERS Filed March 7, 1947 l l L ll 1 .5 5 INVENTOR. 4

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 14, 1952 SWITCHING MEANS FOR CONVEYERS Franklin E. Schottelkotte, St. Bernard, Ohio, as-

signor to The E. W. Buschman 00., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 7, 1947, Serial No. 733,071

7 Claims.

My invention relates to means for determining the course of articles traveling on a conveyor at a point where the conveyor branches. It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive switching means.

It is my object to providea switch which may be thrown selectively to permit travel of the articles from a first conveyor section to a second which is a rectilinear prolongation of the first, or to third or fourth conveyor sections which branch respectively to the right and left.

' It is my object to provide a switch which may be thrown by a simple operation such as the movement of a lever, and in this connection I avoid the use of conveyor sections of pivoted character which must be bodily moved, swung or turned upside-down.

It is my object to provide a construction in whichv for switching purposes I move only the rolling supports for articles, and these individually at different angular displacements so that a smooth action occurs and little force is required for the switching.

It is an object to provide a switch so easy and rapid in its action that it becomes more than a means for setting the conveyor for the determined travel of a succession of articles, and may be used as means for asserting to different paths of travel individual articles approaching it in reasonably interspaced relationship.

These and other objects of my invention, which will be. set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Y

Figure 1 is a plan view of my exemplary construction set for straight-away operation.

Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the device set for. diversion of articles to the right.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is aperspective view of a clevis member which I use.

Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of an operating lever.

The apparatus herein illustrated and described is used in connection with a conveyor section which delivers articles to it and other conveyor sections which receive the articles and carry them away. These conveyor sections are not illustrated and do not constitute limitations on the invention. They may be visualized, for example, as roller conveyor sections of conventional kind.

My switching device has a front frame member l, side rail members 2 and 5 of curved formation and channel-shaped cross-section, .and a rear frame member having a central section 6 paralleling the member I and angularly related sections 1 and 8 extending to meet the ends. of the rails 2 and 5. The entering conveyor section (not shown) may be juxtaposed or fastened to the member I. Similarly, the leaving straight-away conveyor section is. juxtaposed or members 1 and 8.

fastened to the member 6, and the leaving right and left branch conveyors respectively to the I have shown a socket member 9 fastened to the frame section 6 for receiving the end of a conveyor section. v v I provide a plate l0 extending between frame members I and 6 to which it is welded or otherwise fastened. The side'edges of this plate are turned upwardly to form rails H and 12, which are cut away at their ends as shown. 2

At the entrance end of my device rollers I3, are mounted on a rod or shaft I4 extending between the side rails 2 and 5. Intermediate sup-I ports [5 for the shaft may be. provided on the plate. It is my practice to employ ball-bearing rollers on the shaft l4, and spacers l6 of tubular.

character slipped over the shaft. The ends of the shaft may be threaded where they pass through the rails 2 and 5 and provided with.

nuts. A similar construction may be adopted for all otherfixed shafts in the device; but the construction itself is exemplary only. These rollers l3 may be considered as a continuation of the entering conveyor.

At the exit end similar rollers l'l, mounted on a rod or shaft extending between the plate rails H and .l2 may be considered the start of a' straight-away exit conveyor.

The rails 2 and 5 have circular curvature, and

rail ll. Rollers 25 are mounted on a shaft extending from the rail 2 to an angular bracket 26 mounted on the plate rail and passing through the rail 22. Other rollers 21 are mounted on a shaft extending between rails 2 and. 23 and pas-' sing through rail 22. Still other rollers 28 are provided on a shaft extending between rails 2 and 24 and passing through rails 22 and 23..

The rollers 28 may be considered as the start A second They are attached at their ends' respectively to frame member andthe plate- The plate I is also provided with aseries of rollers which overlie it but are swiveled for move"- ment as will hereinafter be described. The tops of these rollers extend abovetheplate side rails II and I2 and are at the same level as the tops of the rollers l3 and I! which have already been described. The tops of the rollers located between the plate side rails II and I2 and the rails 2 and 5 respectively are at a slightly lower level. The reason for this is to provide against deflection by the last mentioned rollers of anarticle passing over the rollers mounted above the plate I0, when these rollers are set for straight-away operation, butwhere the article itself may-have portions extending beyond the side edges of the plate I0. r Anarticle moving along a conveyor and encountering supporting rollers having'axes of rotation not perpendicular to its direction of motion but tilted with respect to that direction in a horizontal plane will be diverted thereby to the right or left. I make use of this principle in my,

switching'means. But if a series of shiftable rollers is provided and it is desired to move the article smoothly in a curved path, successive sets of the shiftable rollers must have their axes shifted 'through progressively increasing angles. Thisalso I accomplish in my device.

s The sets of swiveled rollers mounted above the plate 10. have been designated by the numerals 29 to 36inclusive. In my exemplary device I employ aclev'is construction having a broad base 31 (Figure 5), upwardly bent arms 38 and 39 and a projection 40 on the base. The respective rollers 29m 36 are mounted between the arms 38 and 39 ofthese clevis devices. The base of each clevis is provided with a fixed, downwardly extendingstud or pivot member 41. The pivot members are adapted to extend through perforations 42 in the plate H3. They may be threaded and provided with nuts beneath the plate to prevent dislodgment; A stud 43 also extends downwardly from the arm 40 of each clevis and passes throughan arcuate slot 44 in the plate It. The

studs 43 0f the clevis deviceof each set of rollers above the plate [0 are interconnected by transverse links 45; audit will be evident that by moving these linkstransverse the plate 10, the swiveled rollers in 'eachset may be concurrently shifted on their vertical axes 4|.

The links 45 are pivoted centrally to a lever 46 lying beneath the plate and pivoted thereto at one end, as at 41. Pivoting means from the several links extend through slots in the lever 43. It 'will be evident thata'movement of the lever 46 will move all of the links 45 concurrently and hence will concurrently shift the swiveled rollers'on their vertical axes. But since the links for the various sets of rollers 29 to 36 are pivoted to the'lever 46 at progressively increasing distances from the lever pivot 41, the amount of shifting'of' the links 45 progressively increases toward'the upper end of the lever, and the amounts by which the swiveled rollers are shifted on their vertical axes will likewise progressively increase.

When the lever 46 lies parallel with the longitudinal axis of the plate ID, the sets of rollers 29 to 36 will lie withtheir horizontal axes per- 4 pendicular to that longitudinal axis, and will be so disposed as to carry an article'supported by them over the plate IBin astraight-away direction and in" line with its longitudinal axis. This is shown in Figure 1. By shifting the lever 46 to the right or left, the axes of the swiveled rollers may be shifted to deflect articles to the right or left; but by reason of the differential shifting to which reference has been made, these rollers will be shifted so as to bring their horizontal axes into positions substantially radial to the rails 2 or 5 as the case may be. Hence, when the'lever '46 is'so shifted, articles received by my mechanism will be shifted smoothly to the right or left and brought into position to be received by those rollers, hereinabove described which lie between the rails 2 and 5 respectively and the 7 plate rails H and .l2. Thus such articles-will be transferred to the right or left branch conveyors.

Various means may be adopted for controlling the position of the lever 46 and shifting it. This may be done manually or by power means made responsive to an operator or'to automatic selecting or sorting means such as the electric eye.

For the purpose of an exemplary showing, I have" indicated a' lever 48 for hand operation. This lever has an enlargement :49 at its end, which enlargement is pivoted centrally as at 50' to the rail 2.. A'link 5| is pivoted to the lever'46 and to the enlargement 49 in an eccentric position.

Swinging the operating lever 48 about its pivot will thus shift the lever 46.

Locking means for the several positions are desirable and may be provided in a simple fashion; In Figure 6 I have indicated perforations 52 in the enlargement 49. In Figured a locking rod 53 extends through the legs of the channel-shaped rail 2. A sleeve 54 may be attached to the lower leg to prevent misalignment of the rod when it is raised. A spring 55 engages between the upper leg of the rail and *a" pin or other abutment 56 on the rod 53, and urges the rod to a downward position in whichits end can enter one of the perforations52. Above the upper leg of the rail 2, I attach a member 51 to the rod which not only limits its downward movement but, extending beyond the rail 2, provides a means ,by which the rod may be lifted. The

operator will lift this member with'his finger while swinging the lever '48 on its pivot and, when the member 51 is released, locking will be ac complished as will be clear.

My device is self-contained and unitary. It may be made part of a permanent conveyor installation, but being light it is also adapted to be used with portable, demountable conveyor sections. It can be supported from a lower table in any desired way, and the type of portable, adjustable supports in use with portable conveyor sections may readily be employed for the pur pose.

Modifications may be made in my structure without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus specifically described an exemplary embodiment of my structure, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A switching device for a conveyor comprising a frame with portions for juxtaposition to-an entering conveyor and to straight-away and to branch exit conveyors; a series of rollers for the support and movement of an article over said frame, said rollersbeing arranged in a plurality of parallel rows, each of said rollers being mounted in a member swiveled with respect to said merit of an article delivered to the device from an entering conveyor and cause it selectively to leave the device on one of the exit conveyors, said shifting means including a, lever pivoted at one end to said frame, a link for each row of said rollers, each of said links being pivotally connected to each of the swiveled members in its respective row, and a pivotal connection between each link and said lever, said connections from said links to said lever being at progressively greater distances from the pivot for said lever, and means for moving said lever about its pivot.

2. A device according to claim 1 including other I rollers mounted with axes fixed in said frame and located to one side of said series of rollers so as to receive an'article delivered to said series of rollers from an entering conveyor and to deliver the article to an exit conveyor with a mode of motion aligned with the mode of motion of the exit conveyor.

3. A device according to claim 1 including a plate mounted in said frame and extending straight-away through the device, said series of rollers being mounted on said plate, and including other rollers mounted with axes fixed in said plate at an end thereof, said last mentioned axes being perpendicular to the mode of motion of the entering conveyor.

4. A device according to claim 1 including other rollers mounted with axes fixed in said frame and located to one side of said series of rollers so as to receive an article delivered to said series of rollers from an entering conveyor and to deliver the article, to an exit conveyor with a mode of motion aligned with the mode of motion of the exit conveyor, and including a plate mounted in said frame and extending straightaway through the device, said series of rollers being mounted on said plate, and including still other rollers mounted with axes fixed in said plate at an end thereof, said last mentioned axes being perpendicular to the mode of motion of the entering conveyor.

5. A switching device for a conveyor comprising a frame with a portion at one end for juxtaposition to an entering conveyor and portions at the other end for juxtaposition to straight-away and branch exit conveyors, a plate extending straight-away through the device, rollers swiveled on said plate, means for shifting the axes of said rollers, other rollers with fixed axes journaled at the ends of said plate with their axes perpendicular to the edge of said plate, and still other rollers with fixed axes journaled offside said plate with their axes non-perpendicularly related to the edge of said plate, said shiftable rollers being mounted in supports having studs extending through said plate and journaled therein, said means for shifting compris ing arms on said supports, a, lever pivoted at one end to said plate, and linkage connections between said arms and'said lever at progressively greater distances from said pivot, said frame having a side member extending away from said branch exit conveyors; a series of rollers for the support and movement of an article over said frame, said rollers being mounted in members swiveled with respect to said frame; means for shifting the axis of said rollers so as to control the direction of movement of an article'delivered to the device from an entering conveyor and cause it selectively to leave the device on one of the exit conveyors, said shifting means including a lever pivoted at one end to said frame, operative connections between said swiveled members and said lever, said connections to said lever being at progressively greater distances from its pivot point, and means for moving said lever about its pivot; and other rollers mounted with axis fixed in said frame and located to one side of said series of rollers so as to receive an article delivered to said series of rollers from an entering conveyor and to deliver the article to an exit conveyor with'a mode of motion aligned with the mode of motion of the exit conveyor, the tops of said other rollers being at a lower level than the tops of said series of rollers.

r 7. A switching device for a conveyor comprising a frame with portions for juxtaposition to an entering conveyor and to straight-away and to branch exit conveyors; a series of rollersfor the swiveled with respect to said frame; and means for shifting the axis of said rollers so as to control the direction of movement of an article delivered to, the device from an entering conveyor plate, anfoperating lever pivoted on said side I and cause it selectively to leave the device on one of the exit conveyors, said shifting means including a lever pivotedat one end to said frame,

operative connections between said swiveled members and said lever, said connections to said lever being at progressively greater distances from its pivot point, and means for moving said lever about its pivot; other rollers mounted with axis fixed in said frame and located to one side of said series of rollers so as to receive an article delivered to said series of rollers from an entering conveyor and to deliver the article to an exit conveyor with a mode of motion aligned with the mode of motion of the exit conveyor; and a plate mounted in said frame and extend-' ing straight-away through the device, said series of rollers being mounted on said plate; and still other rollers mounted with axis fixed in said plate at an end thereof, said last mentioned axis being perpendicular to the mode of motion of the entering conveyor, the tops of said second mentioned rollers being at a lower level than the tops of said series of rollers.

FRANKLIN B. SCHOTTELKOTTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,885,823 Taylor Dec. 8, 1931 2,105,922 Maltby Jan. 18, 1938 2,136,267 Taylor Nov. 8, 1938 2,268,895 Olson Jan. 6,1942- FORE'IGN PATENTS Number Country Date 63,896 Sweden] Oct. 4, 1927 

